Timothy McVeigh Executed: Death of Timothy McVeigh Brings Closure to a Painful Memory

McVeigh, 33, was a decorated ex-soldier whose actions in 1995 were by far the worst act of terrorism on American soil in the nation’s history. McVeigh made no oral statement before being executed by lethal injection, but did issue a written statement that included the 19th century poem "Invictus," by William Earnest Henley.

As congregations of both pro- and anti-capital punishment groups gathered outside the Indian federal prison where the execution took place, others held a 168-minute silent vigil for those who died in the 1995 bombing. At 7:14 a.m. local time, on June 11, 2001, Timothy McVeigh was announced dead by Federal Prison Warden Harley Lappin. McVeigh’s body is to be cremated, but the location where the ashes will be kept will not be disclosed.

Over 350 people witnessed the execution, with 30 viewing directly from the prison and others watching on closed-circuit television in Oklahoma City. For many, the death of McVeigh brings closure to a painful memory. Still others, however, have more questions, wondering if McVeigh truly acted alone, as he stated in post-trial interviews, or if there are accomplices still at large.